Telescope Observing Chair

I just noticed that I have three telescopes in my projects list. I do build other things – take this adjustable height observing chair for example. Instead of looking through it you sit on it ;-). Basically the problem is that when you use most telescopes the height of the eyepiece changes as you look at things high in the sky vs. low on the horizon. Constantly bending down or standing up can really take a toll on your back.

This chair solves that by having a seat that’s adjustable. The first picture shows it best. The seat is made with two metal bars in the back (covered in heat shrink tubing to soften them and add some friction). By tilting the seat up it allows it to slide from where the legs attach to near the top of the back.

The construction is all 5/4 hard maple execpt for the seat slats which are 3/4 soft maple. There’s no stain just 3 or 4 coats of wipe on satin polly. This is my first real project with maple and I had really enjoyed working with this wood. 5/4 is really beefy to start with and the nice tight grain and hard wood make this stuff a dream to work.

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments. The seat does in fact slide off the top. I’ve seen designs where the bar in back passes through the seat sides and is removable. This lets the seat be positioned independently of the legs. I’ve also seen versions that add a movable foot rest using a similar sliding mechanism. If I end up using this one in a high position I’ll be adding a foot rest myself.

To RobH, I can get you the “plans” that I used if you want them. I used them as a rough guide and if you look at this chair you’ll see the spacer blocks at the top, middle, and bottom. It’s obvious that the guy who did the plans I used wasn’t a wood worker. My second version will use cross pieces at the top and bottom with three mortise & tennon joints in place of the spacers and threaded rod.

I plan to use two pieces of dowel in the middle. They are short enough that I can get a hole through them without much trouble.

Don’t know if you’ve gotten any feedback from astronomers, but there’s a couple of us that find your chair design very intriguing. A fellow astronomer/friend is taking a woodworking class and has offered to think about building me a chair like yours if I can come up with the plans. I notice that you’ve already received one request for plans, and that you plan on improving those plans – Either way, any plans that you might care to share would be greatly appreciated. I use a small telescope design known as a Schmitt-Cassagrain, and I’m constantly having to bend over or squat to use it, and since this telescope is “clock” driven I can spend long periods in a single position observing and/or photographing. So yes, please do share.